An explosion devastated a section of a refinery on Wednesday morning, shaking nearby homes, raining down ash and injuring four people. Experts said the disruption to production would likely drive up gas prices in California.

German chemical giant Merck and British electronics company FlexEnable have announced new technology they say will enable make LCD screens that are reportedly cheaper, 10 times thinner and more than 10 times lighter than conventional displays.

The U.S. solar energy sector employed nearly 174,000 workers in manufacturing, construction, engineering, sales and other industries as of November 2014, an increase of nearly 22 percent compared to the previous year.

According to a news release, the planned expansion reflects a $7 million project in 2010. But Hargen says the latest addition is meant to strengthen the facility to be "capable of withstanding an F-5 tornado."